cameroncrazy1984:SuperNinjaToad: no worries... I think the flash point of WWIII will be the mideast not northeast Asia. Highly unlikely. Despots, tyrants and crazies come and go BUT religions stay forever!

I guess if there is a silver lining in all this is there is no 'religious/tribal' variable in the equation and that is HUGE.

China, NK, SK, Japan etc are pretty much atheistic/agnostic type societies and no one is going to go to war because Buddha, MSM, Allah or Jesus told them to nor are they fighting infidels and die as myrtyrs and be rewarded in the afterlife.

Japan went to war because they believed their Emperor was an infallible man-god.

Fubini:North Korea detonates a nuke inside THEIR OWN BORDERS to create a pretense for going to war. NK blames South Korea, China backs them up and they use the confusion to delay a world/UN response. NK troops surge over the border with secret Chinese sleeper squads inside SK and take Seoul overnight.

A) China isn't stupid enough to fall for that.B) North Korean troops aren't nearly as well trained as they were in 1950 and have no combat experience.C) South Korean troops are far more competent than they were in 1950.D) The US has had 60 years to prepare for such an eventuality.

Amos Quito:Popular Opinion: scottydoesntknow: lizardbrain: It's all just a ploy to get the West to offer them more aid if they comply.

It's gone past that point now. He's puffed his chest too much and now the other nations are calling his hand. Whether he's bluffing or willing to go all in is now up to him/them. There won't be any aid unless they start dismantling everything that they've been threatening with.

My question is whether or not the common N. Korean knows what's going on. If they don't know how much shiat he's actually talking then I wouldn't be as worried, as he wouldn't look like a total fool and moron if he caved. I'd be pretty worried if they did know, because then he has little reason to not go all in.

the common north korean has the same access to media and news as the average afghan cooking his meal over a camel dung fire. none.if the common north korean knows anything at all, it is only what the state wants him to know or think.

[sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net image 325x325]

Boy, those poor North Koreans are so easily misled by Official Propaganda.

cameroncrazy1984:SuperNinjaToad: no worries... I think the flash point of WWIII will be the mideast not northeast Asia. Highly unlikely. Despots, tyrants and crazies come and go BUT religions stay forever!

I guess if there is a silver lining in all this is there is no 'religious/tribal' variable in the equation and that is HUGE.

China, NK, SK, Japan etc are pretty much atheistic/agnostic type societies and no one is going to go to war because Buddha, MSM, Allah or Jesus told them to nor are they fighting infidels and die as myrtyrs and be rewarded in the afterlife.

Japan went to war because they believed their Emperor was an infallible man-god.

true BUT it didn't cause WW3 and it is usually contained within the country. If it's religious based than it extends beyond political borders and much easier to spread and almost impossible to fight. Imagine if say everything is equal except that NK, Russia and China are fundamental Muslims countries... and SK and Japan are 'Christian' countries. It would make things much much dicey than it is. That was my point.

GoSurfing:Also, assuming war with NK does break out, and assuming we defeat them unilaterally. What then? Who claims the land? Does South Korea get first dibs, or will China flood men across the border and attempt to seize the area? Or do we have to go in and occupy? There would be a power vaccuum. It isn't really the NK threat that scares me, it is more the aftermath. That is what I believe could cause WWIII.

Korean belongs to the Koreans. I'm having trouble envisioning a scenario in which China would even think they could get control of North Korea if it loses a war with South Korea.

Now, maybe, if China started a war with North Korea and South Korea wasn't involved, as some other person posted earlier in the thread. But it seems unlikely.

I think it is strange that we invaded Iraq because of the threat of "Yellow Cake", and nukes. This country threatens us directly and we are doing nothing. They have said the war is back on. Could we just go in and finish this? I wonder what plans are being made. We do have the right, because my dad fought on the Chosin and there never was a peace treaty.

awalkingecho:cameroncrazy1984: SuperNinjaToad: no worries... I think the flash point of WWIII will be the mideast not northeast Asia. Highly unlikely. Despots, tyrants and crazies come and go BUT religions stay forever!

I guess if there is a silver lining in all this is there is no 'religious/tribal' variable in the equation and that is HUGE.

China, NK, SK, Japan etc are pretty much atheistic/agnostic type societies and no one is going to go to war because Buddha, MSM, Allah or Jesus told them to nor are they fighting infidels and die as myrtyrs and be rewarded in the afterlife.

Japan went to war because they believed their Emperor was an infallible man-god.

cameroncrazy1984:SuperNinjaToad: no worries... I think the flash point of WWIII will be the mideast not northeast Asia. Highly unlikely. Despots, tyrants and crazies come and go BUT religions stay forever!

I guess if there is a silver lining in all this is there is no 'religious/tribal' variable in the equation and that is HUGE.

China, NK, SK, Japan etc are pretty much atheistic/agnostic type societies and no one is going to go to war because Buddha, MSM, Allah or Jesus told them to nor are they fighting infidels and die as myrtyrs and be rewarded in the afterlife.

Japan went to war because they believed their Emperor was an infallible man-god.

Actually they went to war because they were trying to build an empire based on the models of the European powers and they carved out a nice little section of China and the South Pacific as theirs. If it weren't for those pesky Germans doing the same thing in Europe, they might have gotten away with it.

SuperNinjaToad:China, NK, SK, Japan etc are pretty much atheistic/agnostic type societies and no one is going to go to war because Buddha, MSM, Allah or Jesus told them to nor are they fighting infidels and die as myrtyrs and be rewarded in the afterlife.

Errr, not really. South Korea is about 25% Christian and about 25% Buddhist. You could say about 50% of the population isn't religious, and you could argue that South Korea is a SECULAR country in the sense that religion doesn't permeate their politics the way it does in a middle-Eastern country or even in the USA, but it's far from being an "atheistic-type society."

snow9999:I think it is strange that we invaded Iraq because of the threat of "Yellow Cake", and nukes. This country threatens us directly and we are doing nothing. They have said the war is back on. Could we just go in and finish this? I wonder what plans are being made. We do have the right, because my dad fought on the Chosin and there never was a peace treaty.

Well, at least this time when we nuke Asians, it'll be a black dude pulling the trigger.

/OBL pretty much justified the use of any weapon based on what we did to Germany and Japan/those crazy terrorists forget (conveniently) that casualty rates on an invasion of Japan would have been astro-farking-nomical./One study stated 1.7 million Allied casualties including 600,000 or so dead with over 1 million Japanese dead.

ciberido:SuperNinjaToad: China, NK, SK, Japan etc are pretty much atheistic/agnostic type societies and no one is going to go to war because Buddha, MSM, Allah or Jesus told them to nor are they fighting infidels and die as myrtyrs and be rewarded in the afterlife.

Errr, not really. South Korea is about 25% Christian and about 25% Buddhist. You could say about 50% of the population isn't religious, and you could argue that South Korea is a SECULAR country in the sense that religion doesn't permeate their politics the way it does in a middle-Eastern country or even in the USA, but it's far from being an "atheistic-type society."

I think a good chunk of the remaining 50% are worshippers of StarCraft.

Amos Quito:Popular Opinion: scottydoesntknow: lizardbrain: It's all just a ploy to get the West to offer them more aid if they comply.

It's gone past that point now. He's puffed his chest too much and now the other nations are calling his hand. Whether he's bluffing or willing to go all in is now up to him/them. There won't be any aid unless they start dismantling everything that they've been threatening with.

My question is whether or not the common N. Korean knows what's going on. If they don't know how much shiat he's actually talking then I wouldn't be as worried, as he wouldn't look like a total fool and moron if he caved. I'd be pretty worried if they did know, because then he has little reason to not go all in.

the common north korean has the same access to media and news as the average afghan cooking his meal over a camel dung fire. none.if the common north korean knows anything at all, it is only what the state wants him to know or think.

[sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net image 325x325]

Boy, those poor North Koreans are so easily misled by Official Propaganda.

Fortunately we Westerners are not vulnerable to such trickery.

i believe the american public believed that our representatives in congress had access to much more information and therefore were in a better position to judge (and of course, it is their job to do so).

whether you believe the iraqi regime posed a threat is another argument and not really a good comparison (although it is amusing on the surface).

the fact does remain that the regime was killing people with weapons we gave him or bought with money gained from the oil infrastructure we built for him (when he was killing iranians for us).he was completely the US's responsibility to deal with, since we supported and armed his evil regime for so long.i would have preferred assassination, but i believe we killed at least 2 doubles long before the war.

thisisarepeat:Amos Quito: Popular Opinion: scottydoesntknow: lizardbrain: It's all just a ploy to get the West to offer them more aid if they comply.

It's gone past that point now. He's puffed his chest too much and now the other nations are calling his hand. Whether he's bluffing or willing to go all in is now up to him/them. There won't be any aid unless they start dismantling everything that they've been threatening with.

My question is whether or not the common N. Korean knows what's going on. If they don't know how much shiat he's actually talking then I wouldn't be as worried, as he wouldn't look like a total fool and moron if he caved. I'd be pretty worried if they did know, because then he has little reason to not go all in.

the common north korean has the same access to media and news as the average afghan cooking his meal over a camel dung fire. none.if the common north korean knows anything at all, it is only what the state wants him to know or think.

[sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net image 325x325]

Boy, those poor North Koreans are so easily misled by Official Propaganda.

Fortunately we Westerners are not vulnerable to such trickery.

I'm ok with saddam hanging. It sends a very important message.

That's cool, but it seems there's a balance due for lost blood and treasure.

cameroncrazy1984:awalkingecho: cameroncrazy1984: SuperNinjaToad: no worries... I think the flash point of WWIII will be the mideast not northeast Asia. Highly unlikely. Despots, tyrants and crazies come and go BUT religions stay forever!

I guess if there is a silver lining in all this is there is no 'religious/tribal' variable in the equation and that is HUGE.

China, NK, SK, Japan etc are pretty much atheistic/agnostic type societies and no one is going to go to war because Buddha, MSM, Allah or Jesus told them to nor are they fighting infidels and die as myrtyrs and be rewarded in the afterlife.

Japan went to war because they believed their Emperor was an infallible man-god.

doglover:cameroncrazy1984: SuperNinjaToad: no worries... I think the flash point of WWIII will be the mideast not northeast Asia. Highly unlikely. Despots, tyrants and crazies come and go BUT religions stay forever!

I guess if there is a silver lining in all this is there is no 'religious/tribal' variable in the equation and that is HUGE.

China, NK, SK, Japan etc are pretty much atheistic/agnostic type societies and no one is going to go to war because Buddha, MSM, Allah or Jesus told them to nor are they fighting infidels and die as myrtyrs and be rewarded in the afterlife.

Japan went to war because they believed their Emperor was an infallible man-god.

Actually they went to war because they were trying to build an empire based on the models of the European powers and they carved out a nice little section of China and the South Pacific as theirs. If it weren't for those pesky Germans doing the same thing in Europe, they might have gotten away with it.

In the hypothetical alternative history where Germany wasn't a concern, Japan and the U.S. were almost guaranteed to go to war with each other*, and without an America fighting a two front war and being able to concentrate exclusively on fighting Japan, I would assume that this hypothetical scenario wouldn't end in any better a result for Japan.

*At the time, the U.S. imposed an embargo on oil exports to Japan, and they were in desperate need for oil. Which encouraged them to take the oil-rich areas of southeast Asia by force.

Amos Quito:thisisarepeat: Amos Quito: Popular Opinion: scottydoesntknow: lizardbrain: It's all just a ploy to get the West to offer them more aid if they comply.

It's gone past that point now. He's puffed his chest too much and now the other nations are calling his hand. Whether he's bluffing or willing to go all in is now up to him/them. There won't be any aid unless they start dismantling everything that they've been threatening with.

My question is whether or not the common N. Korean knows what's going on. If they don't know how much shiat he's actually talking then I wouldn't be as worried, as he wouldn't look like a total fool and moron if he caved. I'd be pretty worried if they did know, because then he has little reason to not go all in.

the common north korean has the same access to media and news as the average afghan cooking his meal over a camel dung fire. none.if the common north korean knows anything at all, it is only what the state wants him to know or think.

[sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net image 325x325]

Boy, those poor North Koreans are so easily misled by Official Propaganda.

Fortunately we Westerners are not vulnerable to such trickery.

I'm ok with saddam hanging. It sends a very important message.

That's cool, but it seems there's a balance due for lost blood and treasure.

Amos Quito:thisisarepeat: Amos Quito: Popular Opinion: scottydoesntknow: lizardbrain: It's all just a ploy to get the West to offer them more aid if they comply.

It's gone past that point now. He's puffed his chest too much and now the other nations are calling his hand. Whether he's bluffing or willing to go all in is now up to him/them. There won't be any aid unless they start dismantling everything that they've been threatening with.

My question is whether or not the common N. Korean knows what's going on. If they don't know how much shiat he's actually talking then I wouldn't be as worried, as he wouldn't look like a total fool and moron if he caved. I'd be pretty worried if they did know, because then he has little reason to not go all in.

the common north korean has the same access to media and news as the average afghan cooking his meal over a camel dung fire. none.if the common north korean knows anything at all, it is only what the state wants him to know or think.

[sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net image 325x325]

Boy, those poor North Koreans are so easily misled by Official Propaganda.

Fortunately we Westerners are not vulnerable to such trickery.

I'm ok with saddam hanging. It sends a very important message.

That's cool, but it seems there's a balance due for lost blood and treasure.

Kindly give us your address so we can send you the bill.

The fact that the balance has not been collected saddens me as well. There isn't a damn thing I can do about it.

[i28.photobucket.com image 600x700]And FFS let's stop wishing for any kind of confrontation-nuclear or otherwise. This will cool down soon enough.

Honestly, I would like there to be a quick-and-dirty conventional confrontation and to see the well-managed reunification of Korea, but I don't think that's really an option. It's probably going to have to be do-or-die. But I will wish for that kind.

StopLurkListen:doglover: cameroncrazy1984: SuperNinjaToad: no worries... I think the flash point of WWIII will be the mideast not northeast Asia. Highly unlikely. Despots, tyrants and crazies come and go BUT religions stay forever!

I guess if there is a silver lining in all this is there is no 'religious/tribal' variable in the equation and that is HUGE.

China, NK, SK, Japan etc are pretty much atheistic/agnostic type societies and no one is going to go to war because Buddha, MSM, Allah or Jesus told them to nor are they fighting infidels and die as myrtyrs and be rewarded in the afterlife.

Japan went to war because they believed their Emperor was an infallible man-god.

Actually they went to war because they were trying to build an empire based on the models of the European powers and they carved out a nice little section of China and the South Pacific as theirs. If it weren't for those pesky Germans doing the same thing in Europe, they might have gotten away with it.

In the hypothetical alternative history where Germany wasn't a concern, Japan and the U.S. were almost guaranteed to go to war with each other*, and without an America fighting a two front war and being able to concentrate exclusively on fighting Japan, I would assume that this hypothetical scenario wouldn't end in any better a result for Japan.

*At the time, the U.S. imposed an embargo on oil exports to Japan, and they were in desperate need for oil. Which encouraged them to take the oil-rich areas of southeast Asia by force.

And why did start the oil embargo? Because they disrupted trade with China, who was busy buying up war supplies from us.

If there was no European front, what would that war have looked like? Would ze Germans have helped out? The Italians? Would Stalin join in the fray against Japan or start annexing other lands as well?

This all seems like power consolidation after the informal fun time with Dennis Rodman probably made some generals think "hey, I can take pudgy's job".

However, if they have the capability to nuke the US, I really hope they don't aim for Seattle, because I'm only 180 km away. Though the blast wave would have no impact here, I'm pretty sure that fallout would ruin our crops and local economy.

MadSkillz:This all seems like power consolidation after the informal fun time with Dennis Rodman probably made some generals think "hey, I can take pudgy's job".

However, if they have the capability to nuke the US, I really hope they don't aim for Seattle, because I'm only 180 km away. Though the blast wave would have no impact here, I'm pretty sure that fallout would ruin our crops and local economy.

I don't know - something is really fishy here. Meeting Dennis Rodman, then threatening a nuclear attack? Un is a basketball fan (from other sources, not just the Rodman thing). Why would attacking the US make any sense?

Maybe someone else is in charge, with Un being used as a figurehead. Or maybe this is a Wag the Dog situation constructed by American intelligence to justify attacking the North.

MadSkillz:This all seems like power consolidation after the informal fun time with Dennis Rodman probably made some generals think "hey, I can take pudgy's job".

This is similar to why dictators are ruthless, and why benevolent dictators don't really exist: dictators who aren't brutally repressive get replaced by those who are. In a sense, it's natural selection.

Something is just not right with the story, but it's hard to know what.

Myria:MadSkillz: This all seems like power consolidation after the informal fun time with Dennis Rodman probably made some generals think "hey, I can take pudgy's job".

This is similar to why dictators are ruthless, and why benevolent dictators don't really exist: dictators who aren't brutally repressive get replaced by those who are. In a sense, it's natural selection.

Something is just not right with the story, but it's hard to know what.

There are about as many possible scenarios that led to this point as Farkers who have pitched them. Each with its own sociopolitical motivation that could have led to this point. The outcomes from here are much less numerous, but it could still go quite a few ways. Only time will tell.

For my money, Grandpa-For-Life's birthday celebration is coming up, and with all of his people starving to death in a few months without aid anyway, I really wouldn't be surprised if he does something stupid during the fanfare knowing that he's toast anyway, since his 'GIVE ME FOOD AND I WILL GO AWAY' ploy didn't work this time.

I hope China either steps in and takes his toys away, or quietly says 'here, have some food and knock it the fark off.'

doglover:Myria: r maybe this is a Wag the Dog situation constructed by American intelligence to justify attacking the North.

Did you notice Obama's pushing for new gun restrictions today? Was on the BBC's main page, not in American sites though.

I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, but you don't get to be President without learning to answer the door when opportunity knocks.

When everyone was busy putting equals-signs as their Facebook pictures, legislation got passed that mandated that the USDA had to harvest Monsanto's crops even if a federal judge ruled that they were unfit for planting or consumption, effectively making them forever above the law.

awalkingecho:legislation got passed that mandated that the USDA had to harvest Monsanto's crops even if a federal judge ruled that they were unfit for planting or consumption, effectively making them forever above the law.

I just wish there was a political party I could stand for.

The Republicans are evil to women and poor people.

The Democrats are evil to people who want to actually exercise any of those rights in the constitution.

There needs to be a STFU Party that just tells people who have problems to STFU and GBTW and let people who actually know to do things handle the problems.

doglover:awalkingecho: legislation got passed that mandated that the USDA had to harvest Monsanto's crops even if a federal judge ruled that they were unfit for planting or consumption, effectively making them forever above the law.

I just wish there was a political party I could stand for.

The Republicans are evil to women and poor people.

The Democrats are evil to people who want to actually exercise any of those rights in the constitution.

There needs to be a STFU Party that just tells people who have problems to STFU and GBTW and let people who actually know to do things handle the problems.

I wish could live under the illusion that everything was hunky-dory. I'm really tired of sitting in this handbasket, honestly, but hey. Every time period has had its problems. I'm trying to make the best of it in my day-to-day life in case it falls apart tomorrow. If it does not, and we make it another 70 years or so, I'll go to my grave having spent 70 years of making the best of it.

This is just a bunch of blustering because we aren't kowtowing to them.NK knows they'll be destroyed if they actually do anything, and they don't want to commit suicide.

I can think of two reasons Un might be doing this:One, he might be doing the traditional NK tactic of trying to start negotiations by tossing threats, and is simply escalating because Obama won't reward his tantrums.Two, he might be experiencing erosion in his authority within the regime, and is doing a lot of blustering to try and show those old guys that he is hardcore.

The thing is, Un has kind of blustered himself into a corner. If it really is the case that he doesn't have solid support from within, one wonders might happen if he runs out of threats to make and it comes to put-up-or-shut-up time. Or, more remotely, if his failure to follow through on his threatening leads to some sort of internal coup or power struggle.

I expect the rhetoric to eventually calm down and things to return to normal after Un declares victory within his own country, but there is some remote chance that this might get... weird.

Gawdzila:The thing is, Un has kind of blustered himself into a corner. If it really is the case that he doesn't have solid support from within, one wonders might happen if he runs out of threats to make and it comes to put-up-or-shut-up time. Or, more remotely, if his failure to follow through on his threatening leads to some sort of internal coup or power struggle.

I expect the rhetoric to eventually calm down and things to return to normal after Un declares victory within his own country, but there is some remote chance that this might get... weird.

This is the whole point. He's out of options. And his military hardlining and mobilization has cost him the preparation for the next harvest. There will be no food, and there will be no aid. He dies if he 'declares victory' anyway. He might as well take some people out with him.

awalkingecho:Gawdzila: The thing is, Un has kind of blustered himself into a corner. If it really is the case that he doesn't have solid support from within, one wonders might happen if he runs out of threats to make and it comes to put-up-or-shut-up time. Or, more remotely, if his failure to follow through on his threatening leads to some sort of internal coup or power struggle.

I expect the rhetoric to eventually calm down and things to return to normal after Un declares victory within his own country, but there is some remote chance that this might get... weird.

This is the whole point. He's out of options. And his military hardlining and mobilization has cost him the preparation for the next harvest. There will be no food, and there will be no aid. He dies if he 'declares victory' anyway. He might as well take some people out with him.

Ivo Shandor:Lost Thought 00: In the most technical sense of that term. It had a lower orbit than Sputnik

The North Korean satellite's current orbit is about 100 km above the International Space Station. Sputnik did have a higher apogee but its orbit was elliptical with a perigee of only 215 km (according to Wikipedia). Sputnik re-entered the atmosphere after 3 months and the Korean satellite is coming up on 4.

Isn't throw weight the important variable? Once you've gotten something up there in the first place, I mean...

awalkingecho:Gawdzila: The thing is, Un has kind of blustered himself into a corner. If it really is the case that he doesn't have solid support from within, one wonders might happen if he runs out of threats to make and it comes to put-up-or-shut-up time. Or, more remotely, if his failure to follow through on his threatening leads to some sort of internal coup or power struggle.

I expect the rhetoric to eventually calm down and things to return to normal after Un declares victory within his own country, but there is some remote chance that this might get... weird.

This is the whole point. He's out of options. And his military hardlining and mobilization has cost him the preparation for the next harvest. There will be no food, and there will be no aid. He dies if he 'declares victory' anyway. He might as well take some people out with him.

Do you think? I don't know that he does.Even if someone attempts to grab the reigns from him, I don't think he'll start shooting just for the hell of it. He's egotistical, not clinically insane.IMO, he'd take his chances trying to win a power struggle rather than invite certain death by lobbing rockets at the U.S. or Korea.

Gawdzila:Do you think? I don't know that he does.Even if someone attempts to grab the reigns from him, I don't think he'll start shooting just for the hell of it. He's egotistical, not clinically insane.IMO, he'd take his chances trying to win a power struggle rather than invite certain death by lobbing rockets at the U.S. or Korea.

Well, I use the term 'dies' a bit loosely here. More like, his nation does. I don't mean necessarily there will be a coup, though there probably would be. Ideally, China just throws him some biscuits for his people and tells him to stop barking at the neighbors.

Additionally I thought it interesting that the on February 12th, NK conducted its nuke test, and the following day just before the State of the Union address, Russia's bombers were found circling Guam. I wonder if there's some people waiting for an opportunistic distraction.

Not to mention other recent incidents near Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico from Pootie-poot.

GoSurfing:Thought here, but: Let's say NK does lob a nuke at the US or South Korea. Let's say it falls short, doesn't reach the destination, plummets into the ocean, or there are extremely minimal casualties.

Wouldn't it be in our best interest not to retaliate with nuclear means?

Regardless of what NK does with regards to nukes (U.S. or allies, success of failure) it's in our best interests not to retaliate with nuclear means. Depending on where we would drop a nuke, the fallout could affect SK or China, neither of which we would want to happen. Aside from their artillery locations, the only political target of consequence is Pyongyang, which we wouldn't want utterly destroyed and uninhabitable.The best scenario I can think of would involve U.S. military might putting the smack down on NK. The peninsula being united under the current SK government. China financing the reconstruction with the understanding that they get a ROI from the rare earth metals once their extractable.I really hope that Un hasn't trapped himself with all his fiery rhetoric. War would be terrible. Nuclear war would be devastating to the entire region. A coup could wind up putting someone even worse in charge. Sadly, no matter what happens, it's the citizens of NK who will (continue to) suffer the most. And that's the real tragedy, since none of this is their fault.

geek_mars:GoSurfing: Thought here, but: Let's say NK does lob a nuke at the US or South Korea. Let's say it falls short, doesn't reach the destination, plummets into the ocean, or there are extremely minimal casualties.

Wouldn't it be in our best interest not to retaliate with nuclear means?

Regardless of what NK does with regards to nukes (U.S. or allies, success of failure) it's in our best interests not to retaliate with nuclear means. Depending on where we would drop a nuke, the fallout could affect SK or China, neither of which we would want to happen. Aside from their artillery locations, the only political target of consequence is Pyongyang, which we wouldn't want utterly destroyed and uninhabitable.The best scenario I can think of would involve U.S. military might putting the smack down on NK. The peninsula being united under the current SK government. China financing the reconstruction with the understanding that they get a ROI from the rare earth metals once their they're extractable.I really hope that Un hasn't trapped himself with all his fiery rhetoric. War would be terrible. Nuclear war would be devastating to the entire region. A coup could wind up putting someone even worse in charge. Sadly, no matter what happens, it's the citizens of NK who will (continue to) suffer the most. And that's the real tragedy, since none of this is their fault.

geek_mars:GoSurfing: Thought here, but: Let's say NK does lob a nuke at the US or South Korea. Let's say it falls short, doesn't reach the destination, plummets into the ocean, or there are extremely minimal casualties.

Wouldn't it be in our best interest not to retaliate with nuclear means?

Regardless of what NK does with regards to nukes (U.S. or allies, success of failure) it's in our best interests not to retaliate with nuclear means. Depending on where we would drop a nuke, the fallout could affect SK or China, neither of which we would want to happen. Aside from their artillery locations, the only political target of consequence is Pyongyang, which we wouldn't want utterly destroyed and uninhabitable.The best scenario I can think of would involve U.S. military might putting the smack down on NK. The peninsula being united under the current SK government. China financing the reconstruction with the understanding that they get a ROI from the rare earth metals once their extractable.I really hope that Un hasn't trapped himself with all his fiery rhetoric. War would be terrible. Nuclear war would be devastating to the entire region. A coup could wind up putting someone even worse in charge. Sadly, no matter what happens, it's the citizens of NK who will (continue to) suffer the most. And that's the real tragedy, since none of this is their fault.